Flush water valve assembly

ABSTRACT

A flush water valve assembly adapted for plumbing appliances including an upstanding fixed guide and valve seat member mounted centrally in a water passage opening of the bottom wall of a flush tank reservoir and a cylindrical movable flush valve member slidably mounted around said fixed member and adapted to open to provide thereby a flush water passage from said reservoir to a receiving appliance and to close for refilling of said reservoir.

[ June 24, 1975 United KingdommmmHamil:

425,210 3/1935 United Kingdom.......,....... 1,003,563 9/1965 PrimaryExaminerl-lenry K. Artis Assistant Examiner.lames E. Bryant, lllAttorney, Agent, or Firm Watts, Hoffmann, Fisher & Heinke Co.

[57] ABSTRACT A flush water valve assembly adapted for plumbingappliances including an upstanding fixed guide and valve seat membermounted centrally in a water passage opening of the bottom wall of aflush tank reser FLUSH WATER VALVE ASSEMBLY Howard A. Fulton, BigPrairie, Ohio Mansfield Sanitary, lnc., Perrysville, Ohio Aug. 15, 1973References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS h c r a e United States PatentFulton [75] Inventor:

[7 3] Assignee:

[22] Filed:

[21] Appl, No.: 388,389

[52] US. [51] Int. 1 1

voir and a cylindrical movable flush valve member slidably mountedaround said fixed member and adapted to open to provide thereby a flushwater passage from said reservoir to a receiving appliance and to closefor refilling of said reservoir.

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FLUSH WATER VALVE ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND 1. Field of Invention Thisinvention relates to the art of sanitary plumbing systems andparticularly to the field of water flush appliances for toilets, urinalsand like fixtures.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art with which applicant isfamiliar in the sanitary plumbing field is shown in U.S. Pat. No.2,693,601 to Harry F. Smith to provide a means to make use of all waterin the tank reservoir during each flush period and also the prior U.S.Pat. No. 2,945,239 to Fulton et al. to provide means to make use of allwater in the tank reservoir during the flush period. Also the U.S. Pat.No. 3,705,428 to Braswell which follows U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,693,601 and2,945,239 with the addition of weight and float means that are notrequired to accomplish the results obtained herein.

SUMMARY In contrast to the prior plumbing art in the field of waterflush appliances, the present invention avoids the disadvantages foundin such art in the following respects: the invention provides acontrolled flush unit with a guide means to position the flush valve forsealing engagement with its valve seat.

A great advantage of the present invention is in the reduction of thecost of maintenance service now required in the prior and present artfrom the leakage of water from the tank reservoir and replacement ofparts.

Other advantages are in the reduction of the cost of manufacture andassemblage of parts, labor cost of installation and reduction ofrequired parts to accomplish the improved results.

Other advantages more or less ancillary to the foregoing will appear inthe following description and the accompanying drawings of theinvention.

THE DRAWINGS Referring to the drawings:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the flush valve invention prior toassembly and showing the upstanding fixed guide and valve seat member toreceive the movable cylindrical flush valve member with part thereofbroken away shown in alignment therewith;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the assembled invention as shown in FIG.1; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the valve partly in section and taken from theline 3-3 of FIG. 2.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The flush water valve assembly as adapted forplumbing fixtures with the flush valve guide in place as an essentialpart of the new valve is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing. The flush valvethereof is shown in place in FIG. 2 of the drawing.

The invention comprises an upstanding fixed guide and valve seat memberA and a cylindrical movable flush valve member B slidably mounted onsaid member A.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the like parts of the invention aredesignated by like numerals throughout. The water tank or reservoir inwhich the invention is used is not shown since it forms no part of theinvention except however that a water outlet passage portion 2 of thebottom wall 10 thereof is shown in phantom in FIG. 2.

The fixed guide and valve seat member A is mounted in the bottom wall 10of a water tank or reservoir (not shown) and in a central opening wateroutlet passage 11. The said member A preferably made of a solventresistant plastic comprises a threaded tubular nipple 12 mounted in saidoutlet passage 11 and having an integral outwardly sloping flange 13with its upper face 13(a) forming a valve seat 14 adjacent its upperedge and said nipple 12 has a sealing ring washer 15 mounted thereonadjacent the lower face I3(b) of the flange 13.

The said nipple 12 has a radial positioned spider l6 fixedly mountedtherein in alignment with the said flange lower face 13(b).

A vertical upstanding valve guide 17 extending upwardly through saidcylindrical movable flush valve member B to a point somewhat above thetop of said valve member B. Preferably a distance of l l6 inches hasbeen found to be satisfactory when said valve member B is seated on saidvalve seat 14, and said valve guide 17 having equally spaced apartvertical valve guide blades 18 having slidable frictional engagementwithin said cylindrical movable flush valve member B is fixedly mountedon said spider 16 in axial alignment with said nipple 12 and spider 16as is best shown in FIG. I. Preferably a valve guide 17 having fourblades 18 positioned with a angle between the blades 18 and extendingupward adjacent the top of said valve member B when seated has beenfound to be very satisfactory. In addition thereto said vertical blades18 may have horizontal alternately spaced bosses 19. The outer verticaledges 20 of said blades 18 converge from their top end 21, preferably1/16 of an inch to their midpoint and then diverge to the spider 16 atthe bottom end 22. The said valve guide 17 has an axially alignedopening 23 extending downwardly from the top of said blades 18 a shortdistance preferably one inch in length and with a shoulder 24 thereon atits midpoint adapted to receive a vertical positioned water refill tube25 of 1% inch OD.

The said refill tube 25 has an externally threaded area adjacent its top26 to receive an internally threaded circular ring cap 27. The said ringcap 27 has a diameter equal to the OD. diameter of the tubular portionof the said valve member B thereby to limit the upward movement of saidvalve member B when the valve thereof is open. The said ring cap 27 hasa ring opening 28 to receive the usual after flush water refill tube 29for water passage over said blades 18 through said opening 11 toreplenish and restore the water supply for the plumbing fixture to itscustomary level prior to the flushing action.

The cylindrical movable flush water valve member B is best shown in FIG.2 of the drawing and comprises movable cylindrical tube means and a ringtubular float means, both made of solvent-resistant plastic and aresilient elastomeric flush valve means.

The said movable cylindrical tube means includes an upstanding tube 40frictionally slidable along the said guide blades 18 of said member Aand having a bead collar 41 and a flush lever hook 42 fixedly mountedthereon adjacent the top open end 43. The said flush lever hook 42 isadapted to receive a flush lever (not shown) for lifting said movabletube 40 and open the said valve means.

The ring tubular float means includes an inner tube portion 44 having aninner diameter equal to the outer diameter of said tube 40 and an outertube portion 45 in axial alignment with said tube portion 44 and havinga diameter of 3% inches has been found to be satisfac tory. The topsurface 46 of said ring means lying between the end of said tube 44 andsaid tube portion 45 is closed to form a float chamber 47 while thebottom surface 48 therebetween is open. The said outer tube portion 45has an outwardly extending flange 49 for mounting the said flush valvemeans thereon.

The resilient elastomeric valve means includes a resilient flat ring 50adapted to cover the bottom of open surface 48 of said ring float means,and said ring 50 has a ring opening 51 therein with a diameter equal tothe outer diameter of the said movable tube 40 and an integralupstanding flange S2 to receive the bottom end of said movable tube 40.The outer edge of said flat ring 50 has an integral inwardly directedU-shaped flange 53 adjacent said outwardly extending flange 49 of thesaid ring float means to receive said flange 49. The said flat ring 50also has an annular integral depending and flaring flush valve 54 inaxial alignment with said valve seat 14 of the said member Av If desiredthe said flat ring valve 50 may have one or more spaced apart openings55 therein to maintain equal atmospheric pressure on said flush valve54.

It will be seen that the said members A and B may be assembled forinstallation or service replacement of the valve 50 if required bysimply removing said ring cap 27 of member A.

In operation when a flush lever is actuated the said lever causes themovable flush water valve member B to rise to the cap 27 of the member Aand the valve 54 to open for water passage. The water in the tank orreservoir is then free to leave the tank through the exit passage in thesaid nipple 12 in the opening 11 in the tank bottom wall 10.

The said float chamber 47 will retain the said valve 54 in its openposition until the water level of the tank is lower than the said valve54 whereupon it closes by gravity.

Thereafter the refill water flows through tube 25 and along said guideblades 18 to replenish the water in the plumbing fixture as statedabove.

Having thus described this invention in such full, clear, concise andexact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, and having set forth the best modecontemplated of carrying out this invention, I state that the subjectmatter which I regard as being my invention is particularly pointed outand distinctly claimed in what is claimed, it being understood thatequivalents or modifications of, or substitutions for, parts of theabove specifically described embodiment of the invention may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in whatis claimedv I claim:

1. A flush water valve assembly of the class described comprising:

a. a flush water valve seat means having an integral radial spider inaxial alignment therewith fixedly mounted in the flush water outletpassage of the bottom wall of a water reservoir tank and an upstandingvertical valve guide blade means fixedly mounted on said spider in axialalignment therewith,

b. a cylindrical movable flush valve means having an upstandingcylindrical tubular element extending above the water level in thereservoir prior to the flush release and slidably mounted on said valveguide blade means and in frictional engagement therewith, a ring floatchamber having a flat bottom surface mounted on the lower end of saidtubular element and an elastomeric flush valve means removably mountedover the bottom surface of said ring float means in water seal alignmentwith said valve seat means and having a valve opening hook meansadjacent to the top of said tubular element,

c. said guide blade means having integral guide blades spaced apart andextending upwardly from said spider to just below the top of saidtubular ele ment prior to the flush release thereof,

d. said guide blades having like recesses along the adjacent inner topedges thereof extending downwardly and having shoulders therein adjacenttheir midpoint and forming an axially aligned opening therein,

e. a water replenishing after flush trap seal refill tube fixedlymounted in said opening adjacent said shoulders and extending above thetops of said tubular element and guide blade means,

f. a nippled cap ring valve control means removably mounted on the upperend of said water refill tube and having a substantially flat uppersurface and an integral nipple on its lower surface, the said cap ringhaving an outside ring diameter of at least equal to the outsidediameter of said tubular element thereby limiting the upward movementthereof when the valve is open and a nipple and ring inside diametersufficient for mounting on said refill tube and to receive an afterflush water supply refill tube for replenishing the water supply in thetrap of the plumbing fixture.

2. The flush water valve assembly as defined in claim 1 in which thenippled cap ring control means is adjustably mounted on said waterrefill tube for optimum flush water valve opening.

3. The flush water valve assembly as defined in claim 2 in which theupper portion of said refill tube is externally threaded and the ringand nipple opening is internally threaded and adjustably mounted on saidwater refill tube.

4. The flush water valve assembly as defined in claim 1 in which theguide blades of the valve guide blade means have spaced apart horizontalbosses integrally mounted thereon.

5. The flush water valve assembly as defined in claim 4 in which saidhorizontal bosses on the adjacent guide blades are alternatively spacedapart.

1. A flush water valve assembly of the class described comprising: a. aflush water valve seat means having an integral radial spider in axialalignment therewith fixedly mounted in the flush water outlet passage ofthe bottom wall of a water reservoir tank and an upstanding verticalvalve guide blade means fixedly mounted on said spider in axialalignment therewith, b. a cylindrical movable flush valve means havingan upstanding cylindrical tubular element extending above the waterlevel in the reservoir prior to the flush release and slidably mountedon said valve guide blade means and in frictional engagement therewith,a ring float chamber having a flat bottom surface mounted on the lowerend of said tubular element and an elastomeric flush valve meansremovably mounted over the bottom surface of said ring float means inwater seal alignment with said valve seat means and having a valveopening hook means adjacent to the top of said tubular element, c. saidguide blade means having integral guide blades spaced apart andextending upwardly from said spider to just below the top of saidtubular element prior to the flush release thereof, d. said guide bladeshaving like recesses along the adjacent inner top edges thereofextending downwardly and having shoulders therein adjacent theirmidpoint and forming an axially aligned opening therein, e. a waterreplenishing after flush trap seal refill tube fixedly mounted in saidopening adjacent said shoulders and extending above the tops of saidtubular element and guide blade means, f. a nippled cap ring valvecontrol means removably mounted on the upper end of said water refilltube and having a substantially flat upper surface and an integralnipple on its lower surface, the said cap ring having an outside ringdiameter of at least equal to the outside diameter of said tubularelement thereby limiting the upward movement thereof when the valve isopen and a nipple and ring inside diameter sufficient for mounting onsaid refill tube and to receive an after flush water supply refill tubefor replenishing the water supply in the trap of the plumbing fixture.2. The flush water valve assembly as defined in claim 1 in which thenippled cap ring control means is adjustably mounted on said waterrefill tube for optimum flush water valve opening.
 3. The flush watervalve assembly as defined in claim 2 in which the upper portion of saidrefill tube is externally threaded and the ring and nipple opening isinternally threaded and adjustably mounted on said water refill tube. 4.The flush water valve assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the guideblades of the valve guide blade means have spaced apart horizontalbosses integrally mounted thereon.
 5. The flush water valve assembly asdefined in claim 4 in which said horizontal bosses on the adjacent guideblades are alternatively spaced apart.